KUALA LUMPUR: More than 1,000 people wore traditional batik and participated in the "Batik Fun Walk" at the Lanai, Malaysia Tourism Centre (MaTiC) here, on Sunday.
This year marked the 18th edition of the event, which started in 2003.
Participants walked a 2.5km route from MaTiC in Jalan Ampang, passing through Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan P. Ramlee and Persiaran Petronas, before returning to the starting point.
The participants also walked past the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.
The event aimed to encourage the public to embrace batik as daily wear, in line with the government's call for civil servants to wear batik at work every Thursday.
It was organised by Yayasan Budi Penyayang Malaysia (Penyayang), in collaboration with strategic partners, including MaTiC, Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) and MCM CaMetra 5 Pillars Venture.
It was also held in cooperation with the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry and supported by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
Penyayang chief executive officer Datuk Leela Mohd Ali highlighted that the fun run also aimed to promote batik as the country's national heritage and walking as part of a healthy lifestyle.
"This is a nice way of making people understand that batik can be worn formally and leisurely.
"The whole idea is to make people understand that a cultural item can also be turned into a nice contemporary fashion line," she said after the flag-off of the walk.
She expressed joy in seeing participants from different racial backgrounds coming together and enjoying the batik-themed walk.
In addition to the fun walk, participants enjoyed traditional games, fun quizzes, fitness challenges, lucky draws, clowns and magic shows, as well as entertainment by singers Lan Solo and Sissy Iman.
The youngest participant, 3-month-old Orked Trisha Ahmad Tamizi, secured two tickets to a hotel high-tea and a one-year gym membership, for joining the event.
The Oldest Participant Award winner, Zaina Abu Bakar, 85, also received two tickets for a weekend high-tea.
The registration fees will be donated to cancer initiatives through Penyayang Pesakit Kanser, a support group that offers services and aid to cancer patients in several healthcare facilities.